Love beyond the mask (Whitney) novel Chapter 956

"Ashton," Elaine's eyes widened with a hint of surprise, and she took a couple of steps towards him before stopping herself. Her gentle eyes suddenly filled with fear and pity, "What are you doing here?"

"What's going on here?" Ashton frowned deeply, moving towards her.

Whitney stepped in front of him, her slender frame blocking the tall and sturdy Ashton!

The depth of Whitney's gaze was like a sharp sword, her look towards Elaine was especially cold.

Witnessing the scene, a chill ran down her spine, curving into a sneer.

Without making a sound, Whitney stood in front of Ashton, facing the cops, and demanded, "So, the long-lost Elaine shows up! What exactly happened here tonight?"

"Yeah, what’s all this about?" Ashton chimed in.

Facing Ashton, Elaine took a step back, offering a bitter smile, "Ashton, I’m staying here temporarily. By chance, I saw this van kidnapping a girl, so I called the cops. It was only after Parker arrived that I realized the girl looked like Tiana’s daughter… Quite a coincidence."

As she spoke, Tiana’s attention was suddenly pulled towards her child.

She frantically pushed through the crowd looking for her daughter, "Officers, where’s the kidnapped girl? Where is she now?"

It was indeed Cherry...

"Tiana, over here!" Parker shouted from a distance.

Turning around, Tiana saw an ambulance parked three meters away from the corner, with a stretcher beside it.

Covered with a white sheet, a small bulge lay on the stretcher, unresponsive to her voice.

Tiana’s blood ran cold, her breath caught in her throat, eyes moist with tears.

She dashed over, "Is it really her?"

"It’s Cherry, but she’s unconscious," Parker said, brows furrowed in guilt as he gently took the girl’s hand, "Come hold her."

"My little Cherry! How did this happen...?" Tiana hurried over, frantic, "Why is she unconscious?"

Meanwhile—

Whitney looked at Elaine, whose appearance had slightly changed. The woman's once luxurious long hair was now a simple bob, her figure gaunt, cheeks hollow. Yet, that captivating skin remained well-kept, pale and clear. Her eyes, however, darted around Ashton's imposing figure like a lifeline.

Whitney sneered. She well remembered how skillful Elaine was at manipulation, how she had Ashton completely under her spell, believing every word she said. With her cunning, she had even fooled Ludwik Lippert for those three years.

This woman, her surface gentleness was a perfected art, always finding the right moment to ensnare men.

Sure enough, Ashton’s gaze softened upon seeing Elaine’s frail and impoverished figure, devoid of her once luxurious attire, now in plain cotton and jeans, a flicker of emotion passing through his eyes.

He asked in a low voice, "Elaine, when did you come back? You've been gone for nearly a year, left Banyan City, why come back and live in a place like this? And if it was a coincidence that you saved Cherry..."

"Ashton, hold on a sec." Whitney glanced at him, a smile playing on her lips, though it never reached her eyes. Irritated by his naivety, she said sarcastically, "The officers are here working hard on the case! I hardly believe that Elaine, after all her misdeeds, just happened to be here to save Cherry?"